Week 1 Wednesday January 8 2014 10 11 AM Anthropology The study of the human species and its immediate ancestors The study of human nature human society and the human past Holistic studying the whole human condition past present and future biology society language and culture Comparative examines all societies ancient and modern simple and complex local and global Anthropology Concepts 1 Culture traditions and customs transmitted through learning that form and guide the beliefs and behavior of the people exposed to them Shared human behavior A society s socially transmitted ideas values and perceptions Makes sense of behavior Reflected in behavior Generates behavior Present and past Current Historical 2 Evolution Human biological change Belief that species arise from others through a long gradual process of transformation Genetic change over successive generations Present and past Adaptation process by which organisms cope with environmental forces and stresses Human biological change What is Anthropology Other disciplines Not the only academic field that studies humankind Holistic perspective All facets of shared human behavior Trying to understand Without being culture bound For comparative purposes Anthropology and Science the science of human similarities and differences Anthropology is a science a systematic field of study or book of knowledge that aims through experiment observation and deduction to produce reliable explanations of phenomena with reference to the material and physical world Scientific method Theory set of ideas formulated to explain something Association an observed relationship between two or more variables Hypothesis suggested but unverified explanations Hypothesis testing Anthropology and Humanism one of the most humanistic of all academic fields because of its respect for human diversity Cultural process Logic of rationality Four Fields of Anthropology a k a General Anthropology 1 Biological Physical anthropology study of humans based on their biological traits Human evolution as revealed by the fossil record paleoanthropology Human genetics Human growth and development Human biological plasticity the living body s ability to change as it copes with stresses such as heat cold and altitude Primatology the biology evolution behavior and social life of monkeys apes and other nonhuman primates 2 Archaeology study of the cultural past Reconstructs describes and interprets human behavior and cultural patterns through material remains Examine paleoecology the study of interrelations among living things in an environment Infer cultural transformations reconstruct behavior patterns and lifestyles study prehistory 3 Linguistic anthropology the study of language in its social and cultural context Sociolinguistics investigates relationships between social and linguistic variation 4 Socio Cultural anthropology the study of modern human cultures in societies Describes analyzes interprets and explains social and cultural similarities and differences Ethnography based on field work to collect data provides a descriptive account of a particular group community society or culture Participant observation learning a culture through social participation and personal observation over a long period of time Often ethnographers keep a diary informal and field notes formal Interviews conversations that maintain rapport and provide knowledge Interview schedule the ethnographer talks face to face with people asks questions and writes down answers Questionnaire more indirect and impersonal often the respondent fills in the form Genealogical methods procedures to understand kinship descent and marriage Well established ethnographic technique Key consultants experts on particular aspects of local life a k a key informants Life histories a personal cultural portrait of existence or change in a culture Recollection of a lifetime of experiences Emic vs etic comparison of local beliefs and perceptions to the ethnographer s Emic approach investigates how local people think Etic approach shifts the focus from local observations categories explanations and interpretations to those of the anthropologist Cultural consultant or informant refers to individuals the ethnographer gets to know in the field Ethnology based on cross cultural comparison examines interprets and analyzes the results data of ethnography Unity of General Anthropology Historical reasons in the U S Franz Boas 4 field anthropologist North American native peoples Culture and biology History of racial categories Topical Reasons Human variation in time and space Culture and evolution Fieldwork Where all data comes from Applying Anthropology American Anthropology Association AAA recognizes two dimensions Academic anthropology Grant and university research Applied Anthropology public archaeology Practical application of anthropological research data perspectives theories Cultural resource management decides what needs saving and preserves significant information about the past when sites cannot be saved What is Applied Anthropology Practicing anthropologists practice their profession outside of academia Aimed at influencing human behavior and social conditions Roles for applied anthropologists include Identifying needs for change that local people perceive Working with those people to design culturally appropriate and socially sensitive change Protecting local people from harmful policies and projects that may threaten them Academia vs Applied Anthropology Historically always mixed can t be one without at least a little of the other Pre World War II most anthropology was applied Academic anthropology grew after WWII Theory and Practice Anthropologists study societies firsthand Theory aids practice and application fuels theory Thus the application of anthropology has created new fields of study Applied Anthropologists work in Education In classrooms observing interactions among students teachers parents and visitors Urban anthropology theoretical and applied dimensions cross cultural and ethnographic study of urbanization and life in cities Urban vs Rural Medical fields both academic and applied examine questions such as which diseases and health conditions affect particular populations and how illness is socially constructed diagnosed managed and treated in various societies Disease scientifically identified health threat caused genetically or by a bacterium virus fungus parasite or other pathogen Illness condition of poor